Caleb Love, Portland Trailblazers
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Caleb Love is averaging 10.1 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game through 29 games in his first season with Portland.
The Portland Trailblazers have a rookie who has made the most of his time on the court and who has put some impressive performances together.
That rookie is Caleb Love and though he may not get the notoriety as a Cooper Flagg, he’s been a key addition to Portland.
Through 29 games this season, Love is averaging 10.1 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game. In three games during the month of January, Love is averaging 17.3 points while shooting 51.4 percent from the field and 54.5 percent from three. Portland signed Love to a two-way contract and he’s showing why he deserves to be in the league.
Caleb Love is Making the Most Out of His Opportunity
Love is a scorer and he has shown his ability to score during his time in college. That has now been translated to the league. On January 3rd, he had a total of 53 made three-pointers on the season, which was the most ever in a single season by a two-way player. He currently has made 55 three-pointers.
Love also reached 50 career three-pointers made in 27 games, which made him the third-fastest player in franchise history to reach that milestone. He became the fastest player to achieve that since Damian Lillard did it in 23 games during the 2012-13 season.
There have been multiple times this season where Love has taken over in games. He scored a career-high 26 points back in December against the Golden State Warriors and in that same game, he made a career-high six three-pointers.
Portland has five players on the team who have played five or more seasons in the league. For the most part, this is a young team who is in the rebuilding phase. The way Love has been playing recently, he’s making a strong case that he belongs on this roster full-time.
His journey to get to where he is now was not the traditional one for a rookie.
Caleb Love Going From Undrafted Rookie to Most Underrated Rookie
Love did not hear his name called in the 2025 NBA Draft, but Portland wasted no time signing him last June. He wasn’t invited to the NBA Combine either, he ended up attending the G League Elite Camp.
Despite not getting drafted or even attending the combine, Love still was determined to put himself out there and show an NBA franchise he’s ready to make an impact. The Trailblazers took a chance on him and Love is proving to the organization that they made the right decision in giving him an opportunity.
Love was a notable player during his time in college. He spent time at North Carolina and Arizona. At North Carolina he was named to the ACC All-Freshman team. After his junior year he decided to transfer to Arizona and he went on to be named the PAC-12 Player of the Year in 2024. He was also named an All-American that same year.
Love knows what success looks like and he is on track to have a successful rookie campaign in Portland. The sky’s the limit for Love and if Portland decides to keep him long term, he could be a valuable piece to the team.